The city was a stone scab against the smooth, gray sand of the desert. The buildings were crumbling masses; great veins of green moss covered them like thick ropes. In the center of the city stood a massive, crimson tower reaching high into the heavens. The sky was the color of dried blood. It's hard to believe that anyone could live in such a desolate place. Yet, in small pockets in the southern half of the city, people had repaired the buildings. They lived in the city, feeding off the plants that somehow survived in the harsh environment.
In the northern half of the city lived the Togai. The Togai were creatures of evil that preyed off the people of the city. But the people lived on, unwilling to give in to the monsters that haunt them. The people called themselves Gensi. Unable to harm the Togai, the Gensi had no choice but to hide in fear when the Togai attack. The Gensi strived to coexist with the Togai in this ruined city. The city of NazgÃ¹l.

*

Zach felt an overwhelming fear spread through his body. The blackness pressed into him, forcing itself down his throat, suffocating him. He tried to shout, but nothing came. He was starting to panic, when suddenly a hand gripped his shoulder. A wave of relief rushed through every inch of him, and a bright flash lit up the darkness. Suddenly he was outside, a strong gust of wind settling on his back. Before him stood a man who felt oddly familiar, though he was sure he'd never seen him before. He had sandy blonde hair and his eyes were a deep, sapphire blue. He wore a loose, gray shirt, and matching pants. In the blink of an eye, the man had changed.
Or, his outer appearance changed. Zach was pretty sure it was the same guy, but he looked very different. The hand on his shoulder was now gloved, and the man was now covered in torn, ragged strips of cloth. The material whipped back and forth in the strong winds. Zach's gaze drifted to the mans eyes, which were replaced by thick gleaming lenses. They shone a soft yellow. Suddenly the man was gone. Zach looked around and found himself on the balcony of a huge tower. He recognized it as the tower that loomed over his own city. The tower was a crimson red, almost the color of the sky.
Zach had heard the tower called by two names, The Crimson Tower, and The Tower of Inme. The first name was of course due to its color. The second name was only used by those who knew the legend. From the ground, it was nearly impossible to distinguish the top of the tower from the sky. Some believed the two were connected, and by climbing to the top, one could reach the Inme Plane. The Inme Plane was a place that was said to free one of physical limitations and bring serenity to the soul (Inme).
Zach looked down at the city and was stunned. This wasn't NazgÃ¹l. There were towering skyscrapers of glass, reflecting light in all directions. That's when Zach realized that the sky was blue. He had never seen anything like it. And hanging in the sky, was a massive orange ball of light. Zach was blinded by it, and turned away. Behind him, was a doorway that led to what appeared to be a study. It was full of instruments that he had never seen before. On one shelf, he saw rows and rows of small, blue chips, with thin, metallic lines running all across them. On the wall opposite there hung thousands of tiny, square pieces of yellow glass. On each square was some writing, and a picture, neither of which he could make out from this distance. In one corner of the room was a small cage. Zach saw what appeared to be a small Togai sitting in the corner of the cage. Because the Togai take many forms, he couldn't be sure, but it was made from the same black smog.
In the center of the room stood a circular console. Floating above the console was a blue hologram of a massive sphere. A man with thick, black hair stood at the console with his back to Zach. He wore thick, blue gloves, with the same metallic lines running across them as the chips on the wall. The man placed his hands over the hologram and pulled towards himself. The sphere zoomed towards him, and suddenly, a scale model of the city appeared. "I see you're back" It took a moment for Zach to realize it was the man who was talking to him. Zach wanted to ask him what he meant, but he still couldn't talk. The man waved a hand towards the wall, and one of the yellow squares flew into his hand. He inserted it into a slot on the console, and one of the thousands of holographic people lit up red. "Well, why don't you come in?" He began to turn towards Zach, but before he could see who it was, there was a bright flash, and everything was engulfed in darkness.

*

Zach woke up to find himself staring at the blood red sky above him. He'd fallen asleep on the roof again. It had been happening quite often recently, and his mom always hated it. "You have a perfectly good bed in the house; I don't see why you have to go to the roof to take a nap!" He had tried to tell her that he wasn't going up there to take a nap, but it didn't seem to matter. Zach tried to stay awake, but it never worked. He would always get too lost in thinking of the dream, and he'd fall asleep.
He stood up and pulled open the door leading down to his room. He and his mom, Elena, lived in a small, two floor, three bedroom house. It looked identical to every other house on the block, like a small stone cube.
Zach jumped down into his room, ignoring the ladder. The walls were covered in sketches of Togai, some drawn by him, some drawn by others. Zach had started collecting pictures when he was fourteen, about the same time his father died. Now, three years later, his collection had grown, and he was still no closer to understanding the Togai then he was before. It was a futile attempt, but his father had started it, and he felt compelled to finish it. Zach lay down on his bed and picked up an old, leather-bound book. Another product of his father's research. Zach had once asked his mother what she knew of his father's studies, but she only said that he never talked about them much. The book wasn't complete and many pages had been missing when they found it.
"Zach! Kira's here." His mother called from the living room. Right on time Zach thought to himself as he placed the book on his nightstand. Zach went into the living room to find Kira standing in the doorway. She was about a head shorter than Zach, and had a very small build. Her eyes were bright green, and she had sandy brown hair. She wore a deep red sweater, light brown pants, and a bright green bow in her hair. She was about the same age as Zach, though when it came to maturity, she fluctuated a lot.
They were best of friends, and spent much of their time together. Many people said they made a cute couple, but Zach didn't really see Kira that way. She was a great friend, but he was still unsure if he had any deeper feelings for her. Kira, however, was very much in love with Zach, though she tried to hide it.
"Kira! How you doing?" Zach asked as hugged her.
"Good. You ready to go?" She replied as she hugged back.
"Almost, hold on." Zach pulled a hunting knife from the table and placed it in the sheath on his belt. The Togai couldn't be hurt, but something's did affect them more than others, and you could never be too safe.
"Why are you taking that? You aren't going anywhere dangerous are you?" His mom asked.
"No more dangerous than any other part of the city."
"Well, be back in two hours."
"We will. Later mom."
"Goodbye Mrs. Valentine." Kira said cheerfully as she followed Zach out the door.
Zach began walking up the street, Kira following on his left. The street was completely deserted. This was no surprise. Few people wandered outside for long. It was hard for people to stay inside all day, so most people hung out at Iagot* Market. The Iagot Market was a massive underground market place. The Togai rarely attacked it so it was seen as a relatively safe place to set up a market place and get away from one's house.
"So, where are we going today?" Kira asked.
"The Tower."
"You told your mom you weren't going anywhere dangerous."
"It's better if she doesn't worry."
"But we can't get near the Tower. It's cursed, and the Togai have control of the area surrounding it. I know how important it is to you, but I'm not risking my life for a dream you've been having lately." Zach was taken aback. Kira rarely spoke like this; though he knew when she did she was very serious.
"Good. I don't want you to. I asked you to come along with me because if something happens, I want someone to know, and you have to tell them. You're the only one I've told about my dreams and I need you to explain why I had to do this." He hated putting this kind of responsibility on his best friend, but he needed others, especially his mother, to understand what had happened if the worst were to occur.
As they neared the clearing of the Tower, Zach felt the first hint of fear since he had decided to go to the Tower. That morning, it had seemed so far away. But now, he would be putting his life on the line. Zach never considered himself a coward. In fact, he was more courageous than many he knew. On the other hand, he had never seen himself as fearless. He felt that the only people who were fearless were completely ignorant. Kira had told him this wasn't true, and that he would understand someday.
They finally reached the last building before the clearing, and Zach gasped in awe. He had never been so close to the Tower before, except in his dream. From the ground, it seemed to stretch forever into the sky. The legend was true in at least one aspect; you couldn't tell where the Tower ended at the top.
For all Zach knew, it started at the sky and was built downwards. The color contrasted greatly with the rest of the city. Zach looked back into the mass of buildings from which they had come, and was stunned. The city looked even more decrepit than before. The roads were the color of ash, almost blending with the buildings. Zach had never seen such a contrast. Even the few plants that grew in NazgÃ¹l were dusty in color.
The clearing was a circle surrounding the Tower, about 70 feet in radius. The gray dust roads ended, and stone bricks were set in circles around the Tower, each subsequent circle was slightly smaller as they neared the base. About halfway between the buildings and the Tower was a circle of purple bricks with yellow writing on them.
Zach looked around the clearing searching for any signs of Togai. He hadn't come this far to do something stupid.
"You stay back here and if you see a Togai, let me know. If something happens to me, run. Ok?" She nodded, then pressed herself against the stone wall and began watching the clearing. Zach stepped out from the safety of the buildings and was greeted with a gust of wind that swirled around the circle, whistling through the old abandoned buildings. He continued towards the Tower. As he neared the center, his vision began to get hazy. He turned back and it was gone. Kira watched from where he had left her, her bright green eyes were full of fear, and Zach was sure that she could see the same in his own. He turned back and the haze returned.
As he continued, the haze became more solid in appearance. It looked almost like water, flowing from the sky. It was a deep, royal purple, and rippled in the wind. The Tower's crimson color was untainted through the purple wall.
"What the hell is this?"
"What's what?"
"It's some kind of flowing wall. It starts at the purple stones."
"I can't see anything."
"You can only see it up close."
Kira considered getting a closer look, but quickly suppressed the thought. Zach looked closer at the yellow writing, but didn't recognize it. They were some kind of runes. Zach reached his hand out to the purple haze, but stopped short. Instead, he picked up a pebble and tossed it through the haze. Nothing. Figures Zach thought to himself. He reached out with his left hand and placed his index finger on it. For a moment, the purple receded in a small circle from his finger, turning a light blue. Zach had a moment to feel comforting warmth spread from his finger when the purple closed back around his finger. He saw a bright flash, and white hot pain shot up through his arm to his head. He felt his feet leave the ground, and everything went cold.